headophile
Enlightened
i'd hate to see bare aluminum on my anodized lights so i take care of them. the keychain duty light i plan to purchase when funds allow will be treated the same way as a regular keychain though.
How rough are you on your lights?
- Thread starter Brasso
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kelmo
Flashlight Enthusiast
I'm pretty good at not abusing my lights. It's the other people who use my lights that ding them up! That being said, I have a small stable of loaner lights. I don't own crap and don't loan out crap! You have to be worthy to get to use one of my lights. Accidents happen.
Ivanhoe
Newly Enlightened
My daughter "borrowed" my Surefire L4 with McE2s but decided to drop it on the pile of clothes about to be washed. In it went, and other than some wear on all the outside edges the light was not bothered by it at all. No leaks, or electronic failure.
I don't abuse or baby my lights. I don't cry when I drop them even though the first thing I do is look for damage. My lights are in very good shape aside one or two with a little mark caused by falling in gravel or on asphalt. My only light that had a little anodizing come off is my L0D and that was only on the edges of the tail, from when I used to carry it in a pocket full of change. Now I carry any EDC in a holster and still bang them once in a while on a door, wall or desk, but no marks.
I probably could sell just any of my lights as brand new, but don't get me wrong, they do get used and I don't dress them up in bubble wrap when I do. I use some for work and that includes manipulating them with dirty hands or having them come in contact with chemicals and I rinse them when I'm finished.
I don't understand either how lights can end up looking like they've been dragged behind a truck for a year, unless used for spelunking or the likes.
I probably could sell just any of my lights as brand new, but don't get me wrong, they do get used and I don't dress them up in bubble wrap when I do. I use some for work and that includes manipulating them with dirty hands or having them come in contact with chemicals and I rinse them when I'm finished.
I don't understand either how lights can end up looking like they've been dragged behind a truck for a year, unless used for spelunking or the likes.
I'm pretty rough on my gear, but a flashlight that just gets used as a light isn't going to get beat up all that much.
My current users were all bought this year, and are holding up well.
The EDC light gets wear on the edges, and from the occasional drop.
The headlamps get a lot of use, but show almost no wear, and the stuff that gets splattered on the one I use at work doesn't harm the finish.
My handheld work light tends to take a lot more of a beating, because it gets dropped a lot more, and on steel and concrete, gets stuff caked on it, rained on, hung on stuff when sticking out of my pocket, plus gets used for things other than as a flashlight. It might get used as a door handle on a few where I don't want to use my bare hand, (lightly)as a hammer, or stuck through a valve handle to use as a T handle on occasion. It doesn't get nearly the abuse a larger light used to, though, and the bezel gets most of it.
My current users were all bought this year, and are holding up well.
The EDC light gets wear on the edges, and from the occasional drop.
The headlamps get a lot of use, but show almost no wear, and the stuff that gets splattered on the one I use at work doesn't harm the finish.
My handheld work light tends to take a lot more of a beating, because it gets dropped a lot more, and on steel and concrete, gets stuff caked on it, rained on, hung on stuff when sticking out of my pocket, plus gets used for things other than as a flashlight. It might get used as a door handle on a few where I don't want to use my bare hand, (lightly)as a hammer, or stuck through a valve handle to use as a T handle on occasion. It doesn't get nearly the abuse a larger light used to, though, and the bezel gets most of it.
fareast
Enlightened
The point is the incredible joy in collecting. Remember this guy called Jay Leno for example, he collects cars and can't even drive all of them. Or even use all of them. Or what's the use of a Faberge egg... this one you can't even eat...
People collect things.
Some of me lights are really beat up but some are not. It just depends on the intended useage. I.e. the light on my keyring will get some heavy blows each day since I tend to drop it all the time. And I am not the only one who drops it. The other day: a brand new light, just pimped with tritium and all and on it goes on the keyring... I knew it would not take long to get it all dinged up and I was wondering how well my solution for the trits were. So my brother-in-law asks for me keys to check something out and the first thing I hear in the distance is my keys falling out of his hands... he was more embarrassed than needed...:laughing: and now can happily ding it up further since he now owns it.
To me my lights are tools. Some are really nice tools but they too get dinged up, just not as quickly as others. I am just no collector of lights. Even if they have trits, I am not carefull with them. At first I was but I did not like the way I had to be careful with it. If it breaks, I repair it or have it repaired.
alfreddajero
Flashlight Enthusiast
My thoughts exactly........i always carry a loaner for that just in case moment.....got off early today because of the storm were having and where i work the power was out for 5minutes.....the emergency lights kicked on but in some places it was just dark.....i let my buddy borrow the loaner and he was thankful. Too me a light gets used and as i said in my previous post my 1 year old beats and bangs them up which is something that i dont mind at all, because when and if i try to take it away all you hear is screams coming from her.
NonSenCe
Flashlight Enthusiast
i am RouGH on them.
I use them and dont care if they scratch or get dings. I buy them to use them. they all are users. they are tools for me.
resale value? i buy them for ME to use. not to sell them again. if they end up sold, they will look the way they do and wear the scars with pride.
Do not get anything you cannot easily afford to Use/Loose/Break and Replace. ULBaR!
So my lights stay under 100$ range.
I use them and dont care if they scratch or get dings. I buy them to use them. they all are users. they are tools for me.
resale value? i buy them for ME to use. not to sell them again. if they end up sold, they will look the way they do and wear the scars with pride.
Do not get anything you cannot easily afford to Use/Loose/Break and Replace. ULBaR!
So my lights stay under 100$ range.
saabgoblin
Enlightened
All of my key chain lights are beaters while most of my other EDC's are in pretty decent shape and I can't say enough about the McGizmo clip on Don's lights for securing your light in a pocket carry situation.
this is my thinking too, ive just bent one of my NEX's bezel strike - only dropped it 4'. dosnt bother me, it still works all is fine and dandy, for under $100 you will get an awsome light that can withstand a battering, and it is affordable if it goes wrong.
adirondackdestroyer
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2005
- Messages
- 2,018
Most of my lights could pass as brand new, with the exception of whatever light is on my keychain.
My dad on the other hand is rough as all hell on his flashlights!!! If a light still works after 1 year with him, it's one rugged flashlight!
My dad on the other hand is rough as all hell on his flashlights!!! If a light still works after 1 year with him, it's one rugged flashlight!
A month or so ago I had my LED Zepplin/FM Megalennium in a chair next to me during roll call. A buddy of mine walked up, spotted it, picked it up, then promptly dropped it on the ground.
"I didn't know it was so heavy!" He said.
He was really sorry but I said "Blaine, it's just a tool, just like its owner."
I've had pretty lights in the past and I've always either left them home or was extra careful with them.
I'm over that now. Life is too short.
"I didn't know it was so heavy!" He said.
He was really sorry but I said "Blaine, it's just a tool, just like its owner."
I've had pretty lights in the past and I've always either left them home or was extra careful with them.
I'm over that now. Life is too short.
Blaine's would have been!
GarageBoy
Flashlight Enthusiast
My BM Mini-Grip has a blade that looks like I've scrapped it with a rock. The inside looks like I've used it to dig through dirt. It still works like new and holds an edge for weeks. I'm not babying the thing ever, I bought it to be a knife.
You might wanna clean that every so often. You risk damaging the lock's pair of omega springs and you want to keep the channel the AXIS bar slips into clean before you lose your fingers
karlthev
Flashlight Enthusiast
I am as adarondackd--my lights are like new--at least most of them. While some may be a bit too pretty (or too expensive!) to be classed as using tools, they are tools for me. Now, despite my belief that they are tools, I use them for their intended purpose---lighting things up!:huh: I don't use them as hammers, I don't check the scratch resisitance of their surface with nails, I don't swim with them unless they may be so rated (I don't really swim deep enough to need a light to tell you the truth!) --in short, I pay way too much for them to be treated as garbage or as test candidates for a car crusher test. Now, given that as it may be, I have dropped lights on occasion and accidently dinged others but, I don't make a habit of demonstrating how tough they are. Different strokes for different folks however.....
Karl
Karl
Flying Turtle
Flashaholic
Most of mine still look new. The only wear seems to be on various AAA lights that have served time as EDC.
Geoff
Geoff
That's got to be the best non-light use for a flashlight I've ever read!
I have to admit that there's something about the heft and relative cheapness of Mags that tempts me to use them in strange ways -- the harshest use for me, however, has been as a hammer to knock in a couple 3" nails.
Agreed... when you have bought and paid for something, whether an expensive light or anything else, you suspect you subconciously just take more care of it -- something others do not. That's why I also don't loan out much stuff, even to friends. I've had books come back torn and stained, power tools come back damaged, CDs come back scratched and lights come back with nice dings or scratches.
